


What Happens Now?

by river_quill



Category: The Worst Witch (TV 2017)
Genre: Adoption, Gen, Hecate Hardbroom - Freeform, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Panic Attacks, Past Sexual Abuse, Postnatal Despression, References to Depression, TWW - Freeform, the worst witch - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-14
Updated: 2018-04-14
Packaged: 2019-04-22 19:40:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,199
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14315772
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/river_quill/pseuds/river_quill
Summary: Mildred never considered any of her teacher ever having children especially not Miss Hardbroom! And unfortunately for both of them, that's not even the worst part.I wrote this after s2 e2 and I know some of the facts are wrong so consider this an AU. Also my writtjng skills have improved since writing this so my apologies for that.





	What Happens Now?

"Mildred Hubble!" Miss Hardbroom snarls as she spits out some water. The entire class chokes as they recover from their minor drowning, ringing out pigtails as they go.

"Yes Miss Hardbroom, sorry Miss Hardbroom." Mildred repeats as she runs up to her teacher, trying her hardest not to slip, and bracing herself to be shouted at.

Hecate blinks at her, eyes visibly stinging from chlorine and running mascara. The moment the girl is at her feet, she snaps her arms out in front of her and uses a drying spell on them all. She stares round at everyone ending on Mildred who she had purposefully left dripping.

"All I asked," She begins in her scarily calm tone, "Was a simple cleansing spell that I introduced you to - for you own benefit - so that you could prove to me that you are capable of basic level magic and look what you did." Mildred shakes as she anticipates the eruption of anger she know all too well would follow.... "I DID NOT ASK FOR A SWIMMING POOL!" she screams before waving her hand rendering Mildred gone. A few of the braver girls laugh until HB silences them. Her face soon returns to its usual resting bitch face she seems to have aquired and her eyes dart around the room. A noticeable cough comes from Maud as she chokes on some remaining water in her throat. "Maud?" She frowns, walking up to her (some might say a look of worry flickered across her face, not that anyone would admit that- if they wanted to live). "Are you alright?" she asks, having to bend considerably to get to Miss Spellbody's level.

Maud soon manages to clear her throat and replies with a gargled "Yes Miss Hardbroom."

Hecate stands up straight again, professionalism and all, and walks down the steps to her desk. The clicks of her unseen heels snap against the concrete. "Now then, homework-" An even bigger wave of sighs washes over her than actual water had in the last ten minutes but they soon dry up from the fire in her eyes. "Water containment spells."

***

"I swear I didn't mean it, Miss Cackle. I was just trying to add the slug slime and suddenly this volcano of water just started to erupt from my cauldron." Mildred shivers. "I'm really, really sorry! I didn't mean to hurt anybody and I was really scared that we were going to drown, I feel terrible!"

Ada just listens sympathetically to the girl who had appeared in front of her, interrupting her tea break, and whom was now ranting to her.

"I feel dangerous, if Miss Hardbroom hadn't have saved us I don't know what would have happened!" As she stops for a breath, the perfect opportunity to but in arrives.

"Mildred, you need to understand this; that spell was dangerous, and you should have been more careful but you have to also realize the strength and power it takes to deliver a spell like that. To fill an entire room with water in seconds and to keep it consistent, I truly have to admit that I have never seen or heard of magic like it!" She smiles down at her, Mildred's eyes seem to light up when she hears this before disappearing into the mist of hazel that her iris' are.

"Thank you Miss Cackle but... I'm not sure I want to stay here if it means I'm going to put my friends in danger, even if I have great magic, I'd rather chose my friends' safety over being a witch." She stutters, still dripping wet.

Miss Cackle sighs, there's no beating that logic. "Alright, perhaps you should sleep on it, gosh! Look at you, you must be freezing." She quickly magics her dry and leads her towards the fireplace that suddenly roars on.

Mildred ducks her head in thanks. "That was Miss Hardbroom, I don't think she likes me very much."

"I'm sure that's not true, she's really very nice once you get to know her... sometimes."

They giggle as they sit down on the two chairs facing the fire. "I thought that she was getting to like me more at the end of last term because she let me pass my flying exam and then, the last few weeks- since the holidays- she's decided she doesn't like me again. I don't know what I've done wrong!" There's a weird sort of hitch in Mildred's voice when she says the last sentence.

"I'm sure she'll come round." Ada smiles warmly and pats the girls knee. "Eventually."

The familiar clicks of heels makes Mildred whirl round to see one extremely angry HB coming her way. A murderous look in her eyes contempt on the child until Ada's head pops round the chair and it immediately softens her somewhat.

"Hecate, how lovely to see you. Can we talk?" The headmistress speaks before her deputy can even open her mouth. Miss Hardbroom reluctantly nods and they head outside. "Make yourself at home Miss Hubble." Ada calls before the door slams shut, no doubt by Hecate's doing.

'Perhaps you should sleep on it.' Miss Cackles words circle her head even though she knows her answer will still be the same. She knows what she's got to do:

Mildred sticks her head out the door, the two women are nowhere to be seen nor heard so she makes her escape down the corridor. She quickly makes a detour to her room to collect her call card before making her way to the mirror room. Usually it's out of bounds this time of day but in the emergency, Mildred doesn't care.

"Mum!" Mildred practically screams in delight as she gets answered almost immediately.

"Mildred! You don't normally call at this time, is everything OK?" A crease forms on her brow as she searches her daughters face.

"No, mum, it isn't... I almost drowned our entire class, HB hates me even more and Miss Cackle thinks I have some amazing gift!"

Julie can't help but smile at the last part of the sentence. "Well at least somebody has noticed, Mildred! What's so bad about that?"

Mildred stares at her like it's obvious. "She's pitying me! I've started to realize after all this time I've been trying to figure out where my magic comes from in my family but then I realized; there isn't any! That's why I keep making these mistakes! I thought it might be dad at first, but then why couldn't he just break out of prison?"

Julie goes silent, tugging her hair awkwardly behind her ear. "Mum?" Mildred asks worriedly, praying she hadn't upset her. She just draws a big slurp of air through her teeth and then opens her mouth several times, debating with herself what to say.

"And there's nothing I can say to make you want to stay at Cackles?" She ends up asking even though by the look on her face she doesn't want to.

"No, I just want to come home. I don't want to risk hurting anyone again." Mildred replies shakily.

"OK, I think it's time." Julie says more to herself and Mildred isn't even sure she was meant to say it out loud.

"For what? Am I coming home?"

"If that's what you really want, love, then yes. But can you ask Miss Hardbroom to transfer me to the school first please?"

"Miss Hardbroom? Can't I ask Miss Cackle? She's so much nicer and-"

"Now Millie!" Julie seems surprised at herself for raising her voice.

Mildred lowers her head but slowly nods. "Yes mum, of cause." She swears she could have seen a tear in her mums eye before she signed off, but who can say?

Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, the worst witch steps out into the corridor where none other than HB her-beautiful-self is stood, evidently searching for her.

"Mildred Hubble!" She growls, storming up to her.

"Relax, I'm leaving. I'm going home just like you want me to." Mildred says with ease. Hecate is, to say the least, shocked. Her face is a painting of emotions, all of which Mildred has never seen on anyone before. Despite her expression, the woman's posture is, as ever, perfect. She doesn't say anything but then again, that's probably the point.

"Mildred!" Miss Cackle makes them both turn on her approach.

"Oh, and she says she wants you to transfer her to the school, I don't know why but I think she only wanted to speak to you." Mildred says, confusing herself at her own words as she says them, making sure they're out of earshot from Miss Cackle.

Somehow, Hecate seems to understand and whisks Mildred to her classroom.

"Hecate?" Ada asks, her face practically folding in half with confusion.

"I think it's best I speak to Mildred alone, headmistress; for everyone." She eyes the group of girls that seem to have gathered down the opposite end of the corridor and are now watching the two teachers.

"Of cause. Oh and Hecate, be nice, she's a good girl at heart." She smiles.

***

"Miss Hubble." She says as she appears in the room next to Mildred at the same time as transferring the girl's mother.

"Yes?" They both say in unison to which she gives a contempt eye roll.

"Is there no warning on these transfer spell, I mean what if you're on the toilet?" Julie Hubble mumbles as she meets the teacher's eyes.

"You wanted to see me?" It's more of a statement than a question. There's a pause, all the little stern features that make Miss Hardbroom Miss Hardbroom seem to vanish, just like that. If Mildred wasn't worried before, she certainly is now! "...Is this about..." She breaths, closing her eyes briefly, "...Is it time?" The teacher asks, for the first time ever, her guard let down a little.

When Julie nods her eyes snap onto Mildred but don't quite catch her eye. "I'm sorry. I can't do this any more. It feels wrong. I can't let her live lie, I WONT let her live a lie!" Julie continues.

"No, it's fine." Hecate's words are almost inaudible but she gets them out. "Shall I..."

The former comes up beside her, wrapping a hand around the others arm, Miss Hardbroom jumps slightly at the touch, "You have to." She whispers sweetly, like the two are old friends. Mildred knows this isn't true, the two have never gotten along, not from the moment they met. And yet some how this seems natural to them both.

A deep frown forces its way onto the older witches face. "Why?"

"Why?" Julie asks sarcastically, completely horrified. "Because it's not fair on Mildred! Because she needs to know, you selfish little worm!"

Despite becoming ever more agitated, Mildred can't help but laugh at her mothers choice of insult.

"Please, don't make me." HB says. Now something is definitely wrong! The woman's posture has completely gone, even her creepy voice just sounds like a normal persons, and to make matters worse, the scariest person Mildred has ever come across has literally just begged.

"I'm not gonna make you but if you don't then I will!"

Hecate's eyes widen and she glares at Julie, finally Miss Hardbroom is back with her famous glowering look and slightly pursed lips, the scared girl she became briefly now completely gone. Her eyes darken in a way that says 'don't you dare'.

"No."

"Then you tell her."

"No!"

Mildred takes a good few steps back when she hears the slap of her mum's hand against her teachers face. It takes all members a few seconds to process what had just happened and Julie has to wince at her stinging hand (it's a strong possibility that the impact had hurt her more than the intended victim).

"Ah, blimey what is your face made of, marble?" Whether that was meant as a compliment or not, she didn't take it as one. Before anyone can even blink, Miss Hardboom's hand is out in front of her like a claw as she magics a desk up into the air, pinning the other woman to the wall.

"STOP!" Mildred yells, completely appalled by them both. "Just tell me."

She notices the table slowly lowering as HB lowers her hand, freeing her mother. They lock eyes.

"Do you expect me to beg, because I will." The witch says, returning to her weaker, softer version from before.

"I'm not going to change my mind." Julie shakes her head, both the women's eyes drift onto Mildred.

She takes a large shaky breath before her legs give way and she finds herself sitting on the icy steps. The child slowly walks up to her, not entirely sure why, and comes to sit next to her. "Miss Hardbroom?" She says slowly.

The woman gives a little strangled laugh even though Mildred can't possibly think what's so funny. "Please, call me Hecate." She says, the voice coming from her mouth not possibly being her own. Mildred frowns, she swears she's heard her use that voice before, at the end of last term. She'd dismissed it at the time but thinking back now, it's exactly the same.

It seems softer, weaker than her usual sly tone. Come to think of it, she's only ever used it in emergencies, times of little hope. Like the voice she has in front of everyone is just a cover up of the real HB that only very few have actually witnessed.

But it's not just the voice, her entire character has simply vanished. It's as if someone has been hiding deep down inside the hard shell that everyone knows as Miss Hardbroom and now they've decided to surface. The strangest part is that it still looks like Hecate. Save the body language, it's as if someone is trying to use her as their mouthpiece only with their own voice and Mildred can't think for the life of her how or why the hell this is happening.

"It's OK." Hecate says, noting the perplexed look on Mildred's face. "I need to tell you something but first of all I need you to know that it's not your fault, I need you to promise you wont blame anyone as this is a recent development that nobody possibly could have guessed. Can you do that for me?"

The child nods slowly, still scared as she looks to her mother who smiles and nods in return. She looks back to her teacher who has hold of her hand, neither of them can remember when that happened but they both seem comfortable with it.

"OK... so over the summer I decided to conduct an experiment-"

"No." Julie says sternly, locking eyes with HB. "Start from the beginning. The very beginning, the stuff you told me."

Hecate lets out a long shaky breath that dances on Mildred's skin and makes her shiver, drawing in another breath she starts again. "You know Pippa Pentangle don't you Mildred? She's the one who-"

"Offered me a scholarship, I know." The girl finishes for her. "She was your friend in high school, right?"

"Yes and I suppose I owe you that one for helping us become friends again, even if it was in fact none of your business." A tiny part of the old Miss Hardbroom leaked through a bit there, making Mildred feel more relaxed weirdly. "Anyway, back then we were, shall we say, a little more than... friends." She chokes out, barely. Her cheeks go unwillingly pink and a wave of embarrassment floods through her.

Mildred, who obviously notices this quickly buts in. "Oh you mean like Felicity Foxglove? She's, what's it called, bisexual."

Hecate is taken back by this, she obviously had no idea, she only wishes people were so open about this sort of this back when she was their age.

"Really?" She replies.

"Yeah! What d'you think inspired her rainbow hair project over the summer?" Mildred laughs, almost forgetting how worried she was a few minutes ago. "I think she had a crush on Miss Pentangle too."

"Can't blame her." She sniffs. "Anyway, did she tell you about the broomstick water skiing display?" Her eyes turn dangerously dark, when Miss Pentangle had told her about it, she'd just seemed annoyed, not what ever this is.

"Yes, she said you didn't show up." Mildred states innocently, not in anyway meaning to trigger what came next.

Hecate's lips tremble, any moment now she's going to find herself breaking but manages to only let a few stray tears loose.

"I- I'm sorry Miss Hardbroom I didn't mean to..." The poor girl stutters, choking on her own words.

"It's fine, it's fine, really. What did I say about blaming yourself now?" She replies shakily, wiping her eyes.

Julie can't help but feel silently sorry for the woman, even if the past five minutes have made her hate the witch even more.

"We'd practiced the display for months," She stops to pull herself together, then continues. "The entire term in fact. We were certain we were going to win, we saw the others practicing and they didn't stand a chance against us." her lips very nearly curl into a smile before vanishing away. "There was a rumor that got out, well not exactly a rumor, that Pippa and I were... together." Her fingers start to shake now and she curls them into a white knuckled first. "They caught us holding hands and as you most likely know, that's enough to start any gossip."

"What happened?" Mildred asks, conscious of how she wraps her arms around herself protectively.

"The day of the tournament arrived and we were getting ready for the display. I said I was going to the garden, I was only going to be a minute." Her breaths get deeper and louder by each word. "I was going to surprise her by collecting her favorite flowers, I didn't even see him coming, I..." Then sheer panic floods her face, the poor woman clings to her stomach, obviously feeling sick. She has to open her mouth simply to get enough oxygen which she practically gulps down like it's escaping the room.

Now Julie steps in, crouching down next to her and putting an arm on her knee. She knows a panic attack when she sees one and decides to put their differences aside to help her.

"What's happening to her?" Mildred demands frantically. "Should we call Miss Cackle?"

"I can't... breath... I feel like, it feels like I'm dying." Hecate moans through harsh breaths, tears streaming like there's no tomorrow.

"I know, I know it feels like that but you just have to let it pass. I used to have these all the time, they're called panic attacks. Just breath and you'll be fine." Julie smiles, making sure she can physically reassure her but giving her room to breath simultaneously.

After about a minute Hecate's breathing patterns are almost back to normal, if not still a little faster than she'd like. She nods when they ask her if she's alright even though she certainly is not.

"I was in..." She takes another few gulps of air. "I was in the garden and a hooded figure appeared. I could tell it was a man from his shadow, quite obviously. I tried to turn around but he'd all ready had hold of my arm and-" She cuts herself off and she goes visibly paler. She covers her mouth as if she's going to be sick but quickly waves Julie off when she grabs a cauldron and shoves it in her face (to be honest, Mildred wouldn't have minded her throwing up in that specific cauldron as it belonged to Ethel Hallow).

Almost immediately after she recovers, her face screws up and more tears shed through her tear glands like someone turned on a tap in her eyes. "I can't... please." She gasps.

Julie, who has now placed the cauldron back where it was, looks down to her sympathetically. "Do you want me to... you know."

All Miss Hardbroom can do is nod after some consideration and the woman takes her daughters hands, though Mildred's eyes never once leave her teacher whom she is still very much concerned about.

"That man attacked her and he did terrible, terrible things, things that shouldn't even exist but they do, which means they had consequences." The whole time her mother is saying this, her teacher sobs in the background.

"And that's why she never arrived at the competition?" Mildred asks. The two older women grateful that she hadn't asked to go into details about the 'terrible things'.

"Yes Mildred." Julie ducks her head solemnly.

"I couldn't face Pippa after that." Hecate gulps. "I tried to forget about it, and almost succeeded... until 15 years later. A good few years before I joined Cackles and it happened again. He'd found me, I knew he'd been stalking me yet for some reason I thought it had stopped but I was wrong. It was all so fast and by the time I even thought about those... consequences, it was too late." She winces when she says the word consequences, almost like it's an insult but she can't find another way to describe it.

"What consequences?" Mildred asks, coming up to her.

Miss Hardbroom's eyes are on the floor, she refuses to look up. "A relationship that would be broken forever and..." She composes herself. "And a child."

Mildred's eyes widen, her eyebrows in her hairline. "You had... a, a baby!" She smiles giddily, the concept of any of her teachers having children had never even crossed her mind, especially not Miss Hardbroom!

Despite Mildred's optimism, Hecate's face is torn down in a depressing frown. "I was 30 and I was doing alright, until I got postnatal depression so my parents took her from me- despite my objection- and gave her away. That's when I came here."

"Why didn't you stop hem?" Mildred whispers, heartbroken.

"I was suicidal, depressed, I didn't have the strength." Her head declines as she speaks.

"Did you ever find out where she went?"

Again, the shaky breath. "To a better mother... from the non-witching world." She hints, she really doesn't want to spell it out. "A young woman with light curly hair." She bites her lips, trying and failing not to cry again. "Who, would later change the child's name to Mildred." And then she's gone, a ruin of the strong witch she once was, now broken in a million different ways and sprawled out on the steps. Mildred glances from one woman to the other, completely baffled by the entire thing. Surely this can't be right, can it?

"But- how do you... know? I don't-" Mildred stammers, tears streaming.

"Over the holidays, she got... nosy." Julie answers for her.

"I was curious!" Hecate defends. "I wanted to know as much as you do about where your magic comes from. I knew there must be something, anything! I never thought I'd find... this." she wipes her eyes, mascara bleeding onto her cheeks. "I'm so sorry Mildred, I need you to know that I never wanted any of this!"

Mildred looks to her 'mum' as if asking what the hell to do. She too has tears running down her face.

"Oh!" Hecate exclaims as the bell for period 3 goes off. She quickly magics her face clean and sweeps her dress with the backs of her hands, heads towards the door.

"You just going to go!" Mildred shouts through muffled tears. "Are we just supposed to carry on as normal?"

She stops in her tracks but doesn't turn around. "Do you wish to stay" And then suddenly Miss Hardbroom is back, like the last 15 minutes never happened and the sinister, strictness of her character has returned.

"What?" Mildred sniffs, not able to look anyone in the eye.

The sudden movement of her teacher turn to face her makes the girl jump slightly. "You can either stay here and carry on, or go home and live happily ever after with someone who has been a much better mother than I can ever be. It's up to you but I don't think you can surprise me this time Mildred Hubble." And with that she storms out, leaving Mildred mere seconds to stop her.

"Mum!" She cries, falling to her knees, hoping, praying she'd heard. There are seconds of silence that feel like decades, in which Mildred almost gives up all hope. She smacks her eyelids shut as if she's too ashamed to look upon the world. It's the familiar snap of heels on concrete that make her open them again and soon enough her real mother is running to her and sweeping her up, pulling her into a hug that almost makes up for their decade apart.

"I'm so sorry!" Hecate cries. "I'm so, so sorry."

"Mum." Mildred sobs into her shoulder. It feels so wrong and yet so right at the same time. As they pull away the deafening question aches in their heads but they choose to ignore it for now, this one special moment they'll ignore the question they're always going to have to ask; what happens now?

**Author's Note:**

> A little thing I wrote one depressing evening because for some reason things like this are comforting to me. Yeah, I'm pretty messed up.


End file.
